Dental restoration takes a variety of forms. In some instances, a dentist or dental technician must determine the location of a patient's jawbone for subsequent drilling operations. For example, prior to placing and securing an implant, an initial hole must be formed in the jawbone. The hole provides a location to seat an implant, a post, etc.
Locating and drilling a jawbone is difficult as every jawbone is unique in shape. The circumstance is further complicated as gum tissue or the position thereof may not be a valid measure of the underlying shape of the concealed jawbone. Although imaging techniques, e.g., X-ray imaging, may be used to gain a general understanding of the shape of the jawbone, the final placement and alignment of a drill is difficult based on prior obtained images alone. Still further, jawbones are typically more narrow and irregular in the region towards the upper portions, i.e., the regions where teeth are connected to the jawbone. The irregular shape and thickness in combination with the inability to predict the jawbone location, creates a need for an apparatus to align a dental drill prior to operation.
Failing to properly align a drill can result in the drill inadvertently exiting the side of the jawbone, or in extreme circumstances, can result in the jawbone being damaged such that subsequent attachment of a dental implant is extremely difficult or not possible.
The present disclosure sets forth an apparatus which addresses these difficulties in a repeatable and practical manner.